Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medias and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $1,371 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medias and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medias and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,102 in Medias versus $1,371 in Bucharest.

Medias $1,102
Bucharest $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,683 in Medias versus $2,067 in Bucharest.

Medias $1,683
Bucharest $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,263 in Medias versus $2,764 in Bucharest.

Medias $2,263
Bucharest $2,764

Living in Medias costs roughly 20% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 RON 52.9

$14.51 RON 68.9

-23.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 RON 246

$61.2 RON 291

-15.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 RON 34.91

$7.46 RON 35.44

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$3.70 RON 17.57

$3.64 RON 17.30

1.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 RON 11.67

$2.62 RON 12.42

-6.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 RON 10.70

$2.36 RON 11.22

-4.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.18

$3.78 RON 17.96

-15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 RON 15.54

$4.11 RON 19.51

-20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.82

$1.66 RON 7.88

-25.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$1.40 RON 6.63

2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 RON 8.23

$1.79 RON 8.52

-3.35%

Eggs

$3.59 RON 17.03

$3.63 RON 17.24

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 RON 41.09

$8.92 RON 42.35

-3.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 RON 31.78

$6.86 RON 32.60

-2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.89 RON 61.2

$11.99 RON 56.9

7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.01

$1.30 RON 6.16

13.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.04

$1.63 RON 7.76

-9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 RON 7.34

$1.49 RON 7.08

4.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 RON 12.26

$2.54 RON 12.07

1.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.81 RON 3.86

-4.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$0.80 RON 3.78

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$0.86 RON 4.07

-6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.56

$0.94 RON 4.45

-20.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.47

$6.60 RON 31.36

-5.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.81

$6.33 RON 30.06

19.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.82

$1.19 RON 5.63

3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.55

$1.58 RON 7.52

13.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.31

$0.98 RON 4.63

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.96 RON 114

$20.91 RON 99.3

14.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.14

$0.60 RON 2.85

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RON 3.22

$0.62 RON 2.93

9.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.60 RON 31.32

$6.37 RON 30.23

3.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 RON 6.56

$2.02 RON 9.62

-31.68%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.0K RON 137.8K

$28.2K RON 133.9K

2.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.2K RON 119.9K

$26.3K RON 124.8K

-3.92%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$180 RON 856

$196 RON 932

-8.06%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.25 RON 34.44

$8.60 RON 40.81

-15.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.26 RON 43.94

$9.20 RON 43.66

0.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 RON 176

$51.0 RON 242

-27.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.31 RON 96.5

$25.04 RON 119

-18.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.12 RON 29.07

$8.26 RON 39.24

-25.91%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$438 RON 2,080

$681 RON 3,231

-35.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,770 RON 36.9K

$18.7K RON 89.0K

-58.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 RON 249

$93.3 RON 443

-43.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 RON 169

$39.87 RON 189

-10.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 RON 349

$80.1 RON 380

-8.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 RON 431

$90.6 RON 430

0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 RON 1,848

$731 RON 3,470

-46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,388

$470 RON 2,230

-37.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,859

$1,110 RON 5,272

-45.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 RON 2,150

$722 RON 3,428

-37.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 RON 9,680

$3,749 RON 17.8K

-45.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 RON 7,029

$2,233 RON 10.6K

-33.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 RON 6,482

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.23

6.75

7.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medias

$292 26.5%

Bucharest

$470 34.3% 60.7% $177

Groceries & Markets

Medias

$222 20.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.4% 1.2% $2.7

Eating Out

Medias

$197 17.9%

Bucharest

$229 16.7% 16.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medias

$197 17.9%

Bucharest

$214 15.6% 8.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medias

$113 10.3%

Bucharest

$137 10% 20.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Medias

$49 4.5%

Bucharest

$68 4.9% 37.1% $18

Getting Around

Medias

$31 2.8%

Bucharest

$29 2.1% 7.5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $389 in Medias and $731 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Medias vs $61 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $225 per month, with Medias cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Medias

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

Same time as Medias

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,564

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medias vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,102 in Medias and $1,371 in Bucharest, so Medias is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,653 in Medias and $2,056 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $389 in Medias versus $731 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 13% less than in Medias. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,102 per month in Medias versus $1,371 in Bucharest – Medias is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.